The Worldwide Short Film Festival is fast becoming one of the world's premier short film festivals, presenting the finest short films from around the world and attracting buyers and distributors. Highlights of this year's event include: a Spotlight on Mexico; Classic Silent Shorts; Animators Perspective program; Midnight Mania, Celebrity Shorts, Award-Winners from around the world; More than $40,000 in cash and prizes; and Short Films, BIG IDEAS: A Symposium on the Art and Commerce of Short Filmmaking. The event is accredited by the Academy Awards. For more information, visit www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com.

Darryl's Hard Liquor and Porn Film Festival is an annual comedy short film festival. The festival is dedicated to all that is sleazy, sexy, dirty and wrong ... but fun. The festival looks for new entertaining shorts that are funny, sexy, campy, arty or outrageous. The event won't censor. For more information, visit hardliquorandporn.com.

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF 05) is North America's oldest and largest animation festival. The festival is broken up into four umbrella categories. The first is for animated feature films. The New Media Competition covers Animation Short Made for the Internet, Internet series, interactive animation and "Machinima," films made with videogame software. Commissioned Films Competition covers educational, scientific or industrial film, advertising film, station-program identification, music video, television special, television pilot, television series for adults and television series for children. Independent Short Films Competition covers narrative short film under 35 minutes, non-narrative short film under 35 minutes, first film and films made for children. Founded in 1976, and held biennially ever since, the OIAF attracts international animators, producers, broadcasters, and enthusiasts to Ottawa to view films entered in and out of competition, and attend special screenings and workshops that ponder the current state and future of animation. For more information, visit www.animationfestival.ca or www.awn.com/ottawa, e-mail info@animationfestival.ca or call (613) 232-8769.

The Gemini Awards is the top honor in television from the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. Programs eligible for this year's event must have aired between May 1, 2004 and April 30, 2005. The event brings together more than 3,000 craftspeople, producers and decision-makers from across Canada to honor, celebrate and promote the talent and accomplishments of the Canadian television industry. This year a new category for Best Original Music Score for an Animated Program or Series has been added. For more information, visit www.academy.ca.

FANTASY WORLDWIDE International Film Festival - Toronto is the first film festival in the world focusing on World Mythology, Fantasy (no Horror), Mysticism, Magical Realism, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Legend and Archetype, and bringing them all together under one tent. Our showcase includes Feature Films, Shorts, Family and Children

The ninth annual Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children offers children and youth the opportunity to learn about film and cultural perspectives from around the world. With a program drawn from the best of Canadian and international cinema, Sprockets runs a Family Program (April 21-23 and April 28-30) and a School Program (April 24-28) for students in grades one to 12, designed with curriculum links and support materials for educators. For more information, visit bell.ca/sprockets.

FANTASY WORLDWIDE is a competitive film festival with Awards for Best Feature Film, Best Short, Best Documentary and Best Animation. Other Awards include: The People

The Toronto Animated Image Society presents a Masterclass with Israeli animators Uri Kratnot & Michal Pfeffer, modereted by Ellen Besen. Uri and Michal's films have screened from Hiroshima to Boston and garnered international critical-acclaim for their challenging content and breathtaking style. Most recently the pair won the Award for Best Animationat the Tampere Festival in Finland. Join them for an in-depth analysis of their films and a glimpse into their creative process. Including a sreening of the work that inspired them. When: Wed. May 10th Where: NFB Cinema 150 John Street, Toronto Time : 8:00p.m. FREE EVENT RSVP 416 533 7889 This event is in partnership with the Toronto Jewish Film Festival and the National Film Board and presented with support from the Canada-Israel Committee in association with the UJA Federation.

The Toronto Animated Image Society presents:
Dream On Silly Dreamer, a documentary about the high times and tragic fate of Disney Feature Animation.
After the film a Live Panel including former Disney artists from the California, Florida and Toronto studios will discuss their own experiences and offer their thoughts on the future of traditional animation.

Thursday, June 8, 2006
7p.m.
Innis Town Hall, 2 sussex Ave. Toronto
$12 general/ $8 TAIS members
advance tickets for sale available at TAIS website and Pages Bookstore.